Gear Reviews

Not so long ago, if you wanted to produce super smooth looking footage on the move, you'd have had to spend an immense amount. These days the number of options available to us is simply fantastic. There are so many gimbals currently available at various price points and personally, I think this is quite wonderful. 

Sigma recently sent me its new 40mm f/1.4 Art lens. Read more for an in-depth review. 

In the last two years, Samyang has introduced a number of autofocus prime lenses specifically for Sony’s FE mount and, having recently bought the Sony a7 III, two in particular caught my eye: the 24mm and 35mm f/2.8. These tiny lenses have been in my bag for the last month and I think they’re fantastic value for money with unexpected performance given their size. 

Sony has announced the ninth addition to their G Master series, the FE 135mm f/1.8 GM, and it's the sharpest lens I've ever used. Check out all the details and download my raw photo files in this first-impressions review. 

The current mirrorless race is often framed as a competition between Canon, Nikon, and Sony, but of course, Fuji is making some great cameras that its users are fiercely loyal to. This interesting video follows a Sony user as he takes a Fuji X-T3 out for a spin and shares his thoughts.  

It's not exactly the ringing endorsement Canon would have wanted, but Kai Wong brings his usual humor to this savage review of the company's newest full-frame mirrorless offering. 

My favorite drives of the last several years have been these newer, compact, portable SSD drives, especially as they’ve become more affordable. But G-Technology’s G-Drive Mobile Pro SSD is in a class of its own for those that need real speed. 

Believe it or not, the most popular sound bar in America is made by Vizio. At $150 it's incredibly cheap, but I have to admit, it sounds surprisingly good. Does it make a good computer speaker system? Let's find out. 

In certain situations, having a rechargeable and portable constant light source can really come in handy. In this review I look at the Smith-Victor Edge Light, a powerful and versatile LED light stick. 

The Canon EOS RP is Canon's latest entry in the full-frame mirrorless market and their second such camera overall. Meant to be a budget version of the EOS R, it's been generating a bit of a buzz around its feature set. This great video takes a hands-on look at the new camera, including both its pros and cons. 

Whether you're a world-class photographer working with a world-class model, or a hobbyist doing time-for-prints with an aspiring model from Purpleport, everybody can use some posing inspiration from time to time. The Study of Pose aims to be the ultimate solution. 

Today, Luminar 3 has been updated to version 3.02, and the company, after glitches in version 3, is moving toward being a solid Adobe Lightroom competitor. 

When you hear about photographers talking about switching brands between Sony and Canon, it's almost exclusively from the latter to the former. However, with Canon finally jumping seriously into mirrorless cameras, it's interesting to see how Sony users feel about the EOS R. 

The Fujifilm GFX 50R is a very intriguing camera in that it offers medium format image quality at a price not far above high-resolution full-frame cameras. This great video review takes a real world look at the camera, how it performs in tough conditions, and just how good that vaunted image quality really is. 

In a world where it feels like there is a new camera every month, finding an identity in the market is becoming increasing difficult. Where do Panasonic's new cameras fit and will they be successful? 

For 2019, there were a few things I wanted to do differently. One was to shed some weight, and by that, I am referring to how much I carry with me. It was time to change bags and go with something a little lighter.  

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens is the oldest piece of kit in my work camera bag. As I get ready to upgrade all of my gear, I thought a lifetime review was in order. 

The popularity of adapting lenses from one system to another is undeniable. One thing you might want to do is adapt a lens designed for a larger sensor to a small-sensor camera. For example, adapting a full-frame lens to an APS-C sensor. This is where focal reducers like the Zhongyi Lens Turbo II come in. 

When it comes to high-quality camera bags, Billingham continues to be one of my all-time favorites. A fellow photographer and close friend of mine Imran Mirza introduced me to their bags when I first started in photography and I've been buying and using their bags ever since.  

When a new camera comes out, one of the most common questions I see is whether it's worth upgrading to or not. This I think is a very reasonable and fair question because in many cases now, new cameras tend to be minor updates as opposed full on upgrades. Based on that, how does the Fujifilm X-T3 compare to the X-T2 and is it worth paying slightly more for the upgrade? 

The Lowepro FreeLine is a versatile backpack for small to medium-sized gear and compliments the run-and-gun-style shooter. But is it the right backpack for you? 

The year 2018 will be known as the year Canon and Nikon introduced their first mirrorless full-frame camera. It was their first step into a world that has been dominated by Sony for years. The cameras of Canon and Nikon have been mocked and laughed at, but how do they compare in real life? I got a chance to find out. 

The days of slinging back your closed tripod and gear over a shoulder are over. Check out the new LensCoat LegWrap Pro. 

First, I'd like to disclose that LensCoat did send the LegWrap Pro at no cost to me. However, they had no stipulation about producing a review at all, much less a positive one, and everything here is my own opinion with no oversight by the company.

Of course, that's not to say your photos aren't already great, but Prisma for iOS or Android is pretty amazing. 

One of the most useful lenses any photographer can own is an ultra wide-angle zoom lens. One of my favorite zooms in this category is the Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 lens. Tamron recently released the upgraded G2 version of their already great SP model and I wanted to see if this redesigned lens was worth the upgrade. 

The new Panasonic S1 and S1R are the latest entries into the highly competitive full frame mirrorless camera market, and they bring some very unique and interesting features to the table. This great video offers a helpful first look at the cameras and some of their features. 

Published bird photographer and YouTuber Mark Smith loves his Nikon D850 and D500 cameras. So what does he think of the Sony a9 when it comes to capturing his flighty friends? 

$419. Let's just get that out of the way up front. The ONA Clifton Camera and Everyday Backpack costs $419 and it doesn't hold an extraordinary amount camera gear. Yet is it still worth every penny? 

Last week, Sony announced the 24.2-megapixel a6400 APS-C mirrorless camera and I first got my hands on it. Here's a rundown of all my thoughts on it so far and how it performed with the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens. 

With the new year comes an opportunity to set some goals and make some decisions as to how to make improvements to your career. Learning new techniques and developing skills is a fundamental part of being a photographer and a filmmaker, and Skillshare has an abundance of classes that cover everything from frequency separation to bookkeeping. 

There was quite a bit of buzz about the Arsenal Smart Camera Assistant some months ago. It's a hardware device that can plug into many DSLR or mirrorless cameras (though there are some important exceptions which I'll detail later.) It's designed to automate a lot of shooting situations, and make AI based decisions about camera settings to get you the best possible images.

For this article, I am going to be looking at a lifetime review of the Sigma Art 35mm 1.4 lens for Canon. I purchased this lens within the first week of its release.

How many bags do you travel with for landscape photography? Two or three depending on the trip duration? How about one carry-on sized backpack for a year of travel? 

I am about to buy my new cameras, so I thought a review of my trusty fleet of Canon 5D Mark II cameras was in order. 

Among the thousands of reviews you come across, sometimes, one stands out for its honesty and objectivity. This review of the Nikon Z6 does just that. 

Sony’s G Tough series of SD cards may just be my favorite yet, as they do away with those pesky write protection tabs and give more confidence with a more rigid structure. They're also guaranteed for professional, high-speed recording. 

Formatt-Hitech is a company that's been making ND filters for quite some time now. There are a large number of photographers that consider them to be the only choice for them and Formatt has worked hard to develop that reputation. With several new companies entering the market recently, I wanted to see how Formatt-Hitech filters performed. 

If you are on the fence about choosing a gimbal then the Moza Air 2 is worth a serious look. Not only is it more affordable than its rival, the DJI Ronin S, but it also has some different features that may interest you.

In this extended essay, I’ll go into detail on my decision to invest heavily in a cinema camera, and the pros and cons related to the purchase. 

Whether you're shooting in conditions where changing lenses is too much of a risk or you simply don't have time to, or you're just looking for a lens with a lot of versatility, a superzoom can be an appealing option. This great review takes a look at the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 Sports lens. 

I'm a big user of Content Aware Fill in Photoshop. It's hard to take a photo and not want to remove something. But if I'm shooting with my smartphone, I usually don't want to transfer an image to my computer for serious editing unless I have to. My smartphone photos are usually casual and quick, but often retouching is needed on those photos too. 

Sigma has been really cruising the last few years, but it seems they've outdone themselves with their 105mm f/1.4 Art lens. Check out this awesome review of this sharp piece of glass. 

Most gimbals that have been released in the last few years have had a similar design and aesthetic. For the most part, they've had a long handle where the batteries go in and the gimbal head on top. Recently, Zhiyun-Tech released their latest gimbal and I believe this will have quite the impact on the gimbal industry as a whole. 

Sometimes, when you are looking for a versatile camera backpack, they tend to lack in the style department, or on the other hand, you may sacrifice space and utility for a more fashionable bag. But, what if BAGSMART has combined both? Take a look at our review! 

The Zeiss ZX1 is quite the unique camera, being a full frame body with a fixed lens, a supersize touchscreen, and Lightroom built in. This video takes a first look at the camera. 

One thing the Sony system lacks is a large assortment of tilt-shift lenses, but this adapter allows you to use existing Canon or Nikon lenses on a Sony body and add shift capabilities. Check out this great video review of the Laowa Magic Shift Converter. 

Now that Sony's 400mm f/2.8 lens is here, photographers are starting to pair it with the a9 and take it to professional sporting events. This great video shows how it fares at an NFL game. 

The DJI Osmo Pocket is small — almost ludicrously so. However, in that tiny footprint and relatively affordable price, it seems to pack a powerful punch, though it's not without its drawbacks. This great video examines the pros and cons of the new gimbal. 

I've been a fan of LandscapePro since it came out a few years ago. Like a lot of imaging software or Photoshop plug-ins, it's best used lightly so things don't get out of hand.  

Intellytech’s RGBW LED panel is something I’ve dreamed of for years. It’s finally here, but do we even need RGB lights?